Gov. Cuomo attempts to take audit powers from State Comptroller

Governor Andrew Cuomo says he’s trying to make government more efficient by taking pre audit oversight powers away from the State’s Comptroller in his state budget proposal.

State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli criticized Cuomo’s proposal, saying the pre audits have saved millions of dollars by flagging potential problems in the contracts. Cuomo says he’s not taking away the comptroller’s authority but trying to speed up an inefficient procurement process. He says the Comptroller and others are simply resisting reform of what he says is an “historically dysfunctional government”.

Office of General Services commissioner RoAnn DeStito says the proposed change only effects a small number of contracts, and she says the comptroller can always stop payment if any red flags are raised later.

Cuomo says just because he and the Comptroller disagree on the issue doesn’t mean they don’t have a good relationship, and he says the thinks DiNapoli is a “good comptroller”. Cuomo says he last spoke to DiNapoli in early January, at his State of the State speech.